The Devil's Gate

by Rue Volley

  “I am—honestly, other than the tender spot and the little bit of dizziness earlier, all seems to be good.”

  “Should I go then?” he pointed behind him as he took a drink and my hesitation spoke volumes. Of course, I didn’t want him to go. He seemed to be a band-aid on the wound.

  “Well, I mean, it’s late. I don’t have a problem with you staying; that is if you want to.”

  His eyes lit up and told me that he didn’t want to leave. “Of course I can.”

  I placed my cup on the counter and sat down across from him. “So, before I pulled my big elaborate ruse to lure you here.” He laughed; I was glad. I was only joking. “Well, you said that Jack—Jack Landon was in an accident.”

  He took a drink and set his cup down on the counter.

  “Yes, Jack was out of control in his early twenties. Then the accident happened, and it all stopped. I mean—he has the occasional drink, but the partying, all of it. It stopped dead after that night.”

  “About that night—what happened? Do you know?”

  Sam stared at his coffee and twisted the cup in his hands. “They were all partying in a limo. I’m sure the guy has many.” I looked down at my coffee as I thought about his limo. I knew it well. Sam went on. “It was him, his brother Jerod, their friend, and Jack’s wife.”

  I choked on my drink and Sam looked at me. “You okay?”

  I held my hand up as the cough slowed. “Yeah, oh yeah. I'm okay. I never knew that he was married, just weird. He doesn’t seem like the marrying type.”

  Sam leaned on the counter as he studied my face. “Well, he was only married for maybe five months before the accident happened.”

  “He had to be young.”

  “Twenty-two, I think. Yeah—twenty-two or twenty-three. His wife was younger, Twenty-one.”

  “So, what happened?”

  Sam sighed. “I guess they were getting rowdy, pills and alcohol will do that to you. Someone messed with the driver and the car went off the road, it went into a ravine, hit the lake and sank. Jack got out, and everyone else but his one friend, his best friend from school, as I heard. Some guy named, Brian, I know that his brother, Jerod, dates his sister. A blonde, Tasha is her name, I think. They were twins. Tasha and Brian, yeah, that is her name, anyway, I think that Jack was with her after the accident, for a little while, but like everything else, he tosses things away when he gets tired of them.”

  The words stung like a bee sting. Tosses them away when he gets tired of them. That he certainly does, without hesitation.

  “So, his wife. She survived?”

  “Yeah, if you call it that. She drowned, but Jack was able to resuscitate her. She never quite recovered from that. She has been in the hospital ever since that night.”

  “On life support?”

  Sam stopped rolling the cup between his hands. “Oh, no, mental ward at Rose Valley. She hit her head on the glass and I guess it damaged her. She has trouble with memory and lashes out in anger at people for no reason.”

  I sighed, letting the air out very slowly. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for Jack to watch his friend die and have to try to save his wife only to have her damaged for life and lost to him.

  “So sad,” I said in a half-whisper as Sam stared at me.

  “It is but the story was buried. The Landons don’t like to have negative things out there in the world about them and when Jack bought the paper, well, the interior wasn’t the only thing that was stripped clean.”

  “I think I need to lie down.”

  “Okay, um—I can take the couch, do you have a spare pillow?”

  I stood up. “Yes, of course we do. Let me go get one for you.” I walked past him and started to fall; the room spun and he caught me. He picked me up as I looked up at him. “That was unintentional,” I tapped his chest.

  He smiled down at me. “Sure it was.”

  Sam smelled good, clean. Like home. I closed my eyes as I let my head rest against his chest and he carried me into the bedroom. He lay me down and covered me up with my blanket as I turned on my side. He walked around to the other side and lay down on the bed, making sure to not touch me as I lay there with my back to him and not wanting to ask him to leave. In fact, it felt so good to have someone there who seemed to care for me. I closed my eyes and for the first time in three months, I didn’t dream about Jack or anything at all except for an empty dance floor and two teenagers slow dancing to soft music. Nothing more, but feeling like home.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO CUTE?

  I woke to the smell of eggs and bacon. The voices were muffled, but then the laughter got loud and I knew that it was Avery. I would know her laugh anywhere in the world.

  I rolled onto my back and looked over. Sam was gone. I sighed as I grabbed a pillow and covered my face with it. I could scream. I let him sleep in my bed and I’m sure that Avery thought we did the nasty. Great. She would be a delight to deal with.

  I sat up and steadied myself. I still had a cloudy haze over my brain. It’s the only way I can explain it. It was kind of like a hangover minus the excessive amount of alcohol and bad choices. I slid my feet from the bed and into my favorite slippers. I wrapped my black robe tight and pulled my hair up into a messy bun on top of my head. I wasn’t worried about make-up or any of that. Sam had seen me drooling and passed out, I probably snored or at least talked in my sleep. I am notorious for both, I guess. Either that or Avery was just kidding around with me.

  I walked out and Avery sat on the couch, facing Sam, as they both laughed. She stopped when she saw me and set her plate down on the coffee table. She walked over to me and touched my face as she inspected my eyes.

  “Feeling better?” she asked as I looked at her faint dark circles.

  “Did you even sleep last night?”

  “Hell no, are you kidding me?” she leaned in and whispered. “You shouldn’t have either.” She glanced back at Sam and raised her eyebrows. She evidently approved of him; I don’t know what woman wouldn’t. He was like a good pair of shoes, the ones that are the go-tos that you always grab when you don’t even have to think about it. They just fit like a glove.

  I walked toward the kitchen as Avery grabbed my arm and led me to the couch. She sat me down and started to walk to the kitchen, yelling back at me. “Eggs, bacon, coffee?”

  “No, no, and yes—lots of it. A bucket.” She laughed and so did Sam as he shoved the last piece of bacon into his mouth and chewed. He swallowed then set his plate down on the coffee table, next to Avery’s. She had barely eaten anything herself; she was notorious for doing that when she was excited.

  “So, sleeping beauty, how are we today?”

  I said nothing as Avery returned with my miracle cure. I held a finger up as I took a big sip and then spoke to him. “First rule of Abi club, you don’t talk to Abi until the first coffee goes down.”

  He smiled, leaning back on the couch and never taking his eyes off me. Avery noticed and then decided to get ready for her flight.

  “I’m going to wash the stink off of me, my flight leaves in four hours and we all know you have to get there early.”

  “Europe huh?” Sam asked, and her whole face lit up. Her excitement was hard to contain and I don’t blame her. She had been looking forward to this trip for two years.

  “Yep, I’m going to hang out with my cousins until the end of summer.” She paused. “So I will be gone for a while.”

  I looked down and sipped my coffee again; she was so ridiculous. “Do you need a ride to the airport?”

  Avery snapped her fingers and looked at me before she allowed her eyes to settle back on him. “Cute and he has his own car? Abi, snatch this man up before I whisk him away to Europe with me.”

  He laughed, so did she and I turned a bit red. I hid behind my coffee until the moment passed. Avery cleared her throat. “Okay then. I’m going to get cleaned up—and yes, I will take that ride as long as Abi is up to riding with us.” She loo
ked at me and I set my cup down on the coffee table.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye to you at the airport. You would never forgive me. It’s too movie worthy.”

  She laughed and ran toward her bedroom. She shut the door behind her as she left me there with Sam, feeling relaxed, but at a loss as to what to say, so I said what I should.

  “Thank you.”

  He took a slow breath and turned, his one leg half on the couch, completely open to me. He was so easy to be around. Like an old friend. I rubbed my head and winced. He moved toward me. “Let me see.”

  I stared off as he moved my hair and then saw the bump. “Oh, I am going to beat that door down.”

  I grinned, turning my face and realizing that he was way too close to my lips. We had that moment. The one where you stare into each others eyes and then the dramatic pause, the eyes lower to the lips and, of course—heleaned in, I moved off the couch and took the plates with me from the coffee table. He was left there, about to kiss me and nothing to kiss. I would have felt terrible, but I never gave him any indication that I wanted to or did I? I couldn’t even tell. I mean, the doctor said that my sexual needs would heighten, had I sent up some emergency bat signal from my vagina without even knowing it?

  I walked into the kitchen and returned to an empty couch. I scanned the room and Sam was nowhere to be found. Great. The man takes me to the ER, is a perfect gentleman in my bed, cares for me, and what? I run him off, perfect. Then I heard the bathroom door open and he came in and smiled at me.

  “Coffee.” I sighed. I was glad that he hadn’t fled. I may have taken it all wrong. I mean, I am suffering from a concussion. The kiss may have been all me and not him. A complete misunderstanding of the situation. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  We drove Avery to the airport and laughed the whole way. We blasted ’80s tunes on the radio and acted like fools. It felt so good to have an ordinary moment and just get caught up in it without any awkwardness or depressing thoughts. We sang and it felt like high school all over again, minus the fact that I didn’t hang out with either one of them there—but you know what I mean. It was the feeling, which mattered the most of all.

  We drove into the airport parking lot and found a good spot straight away. I hoped that we would. Airports can be so irritating. I tend to take the bus anyway. I may be weird, but I enjoy the ride. I enjoy the scenery and reading a book as we move along. I don’t even mind the fact that it takes longer, in fact, it seems like it should be part of the process. Anything worth having should take time. Otherwise, it isn’t worth having at all.

  We made our way in and Avery checked in while Sam hunted down a few coffees for all three of us. I sat on the less-than-comfortable chairs with large planes lifting off behind me as I thought about home. I needed to visit; it had been a while and I knew I was avoiding it—to a certain degree. Don’t get me wrong, I love home. I love my mom—I love, or loved, my dad. It was the heavy feeling that I didn’t love. Standing in front of the stone and knowing that he was gone forever. It hurt me and I could do without it.

  Sam returned with a coffee in tow and I smiled. I was grateful that he stopped me from thinking about something so sad. Trust me, I’m not avoiding it. I dealt with it for years. My dad died when I was seventeen and I never imagined that I would graduate and see an empty chair next to my mom. It was so surreal, hard to connect;almost as if it belonged to someone else’s history and not my own.

  Sam handed me a coffee and I immediately took a drink of it as he sat down next to me. I nodded to him. “Thanks, I needed it.”

  He laughed. “I have never seen anyone drink more of this stuff than you do.”

  I leaned back and stretched my legs out. The drive had been longer than I thought that it would be and my muscles ached. I stared at my torn jeans and my old tennis shoes.

  “I wouldn’t be me without it.”

  He leaned back and stretched his legs out to as we both stared at our own shoes. It was a lovely moment, a quiet one—easy.

  Avery stepped up and waved her ticket. “All checked in!”

  I stood up and smiled at her. Sam picked up her coffee and handed it to her as she smiled at him. “And he brings coffee—Abi, keeper.” She pointed at him, and I looked down, taking another drink to avoid her matchmaking nonsense. I get it; Sam is cute, extremely sweet, a gentleman. He is compassionate and offered to stay with me. All great things, I know. I am not blind to it, I just—I’m not ready. I’m just not.

  “So how long do we have?” I asked, as it felt like the perfect time to switch up the conversation.

  She looked at her large, pink watch on her petite wrist. It always cracked me up at how she would buy things too large for her like that. Too large for her body, but not for her personality.

  “One hour.”

  “Well then—I challenge you to a duel.”

  She nodded to me as we both took off for the arcade; Sam followed along not knowing what we were doing, but I’m sure that his curiosity was piqued. As mine would be.

  Avery and I played three games of Dance Dance Revolution as I tried to fight back the lingering headache that started to rise. I wasn’t about to let her beat me. After the last game, of which I won two out of three—injured, I might add, I looked over to see Sam watching me. I stopped laughing and smiled back at him. It was genuine and I appreciated his interest in me. It felt good, I had to welcome it. It had been months since I felt healthy again and thanks to Avery and an angry revolving door, I may have been getting closer to Abi again. Something I knew that I needed to make happen.

  I stood at the large glass window and watched her plane take off as Sam stood next to me. Then I noticed that he was looking at me and not the large, ascending airplane. “I didn’t mean to make you feel weird—this morning. I blame it on the bacon.”

  I laughed. “The bacon?”

  Sam eyed his shoes, trying to hide his mischievous grin. “Bacon is an aphrodisiac.”

  “It is not,” I said as I snorted.

  “I beg to differ, it most certainly is.”

  I started to walk away as Sam stayed by my side. We left the airport and he opened the door for me as I slid into the front seat of his car. It was a Merc and a nice one. Obviously he had done well for himself, but he didn’t talk about money, in fact, I think he would rather ignore it. Which was totally fine with me. We started to drive, and he looked at me.

  “So, why did you really want to know about Jack Landon?”

  I felt the heat in my cheeks as I stared out the window. Damn you Avery.

  “What do you mean?”

  He laughed. “Avery told me you graduated, by the way—congratulations, Abi. But that means no paper to write, so your questions about Jack Landon kind of confuse me.”

  “I swear,” I whispered as I looked down at my hands.

  He leaned back in his seat, relaxed as always. I swallowed hard and then decided to fess up.

  “I—well, Jack and I—we, I don’t know.”

  He laughed. “That was the shittiest story in the history of storytelling.”

  I rolled my eyes and looked over at him. “Well, excuse me.”

  “So—is he still around?”

  I looked down at my hands and rubbed the scar on my fingertip. Of course he was, would he ever be gone? I looked out the window and my tone was somber. “I don’t know.”

  “Okay, well, thank you for telling me. I mean—before I did something stupid and asked you out.”

  I turned to look at him. “On a date?”

  He grinned. “Well, yeah. I mean we already slept together, so things are kind of backward.”

  I hit him on the shoulder as he let out a fake “ow”, the laughter followed. I paused and then said it.“Yes.”

  He looked over at me. “Yes, what?”

  “Hypothetically, yes. I mean, if you asked me out. I know you aren’t, but if you did, then I would say yes.”

  “Okay, well there is this hypothetical
bar that I like to go to and drink hypothetical beers on tap. I also like to play pool, hypothetically sometimes.”

  I laughed as I leaned back into my seat. “Well, the next time you hypothetically go there you can ask me if I would like to go.”

  “How about tonight?” he asked without hesitating.

  I answered too quickly. “Yes—I mean, sure, why not.”

  He sighed and bit his lip as he drove on. I turned up the music just so the conversation could end, and I could figure out what the hell I just did.

  I stared at my laptop and the name of the institution that Sam had given to me. She was there, and the temptation ate away at my brain. I let my chin rest on my hand as my eyes darted to the clock and back to my screen. I had six hours before Sam would return to take me out on our hypothetical date. I sighed and then closed the laptop, only to open it again and stare at the building. It loomed on the screen. An old Catholic monastery converted into a mental ward.

  I shouldn’t dare, but as I sat there, my heart sped up, my palms got sweaty and regardless of Sam’s attempts at helping me shed Jack and his memory, it remained on and in me. I closed my laptop and looked at the clock. I had time, right? I could get there and back, Sam doesn’t have to know, Avery is gone and I—well, I have a burning need to find out more.

  I rode in the back of the cab and watched as it turned onto a long lane that stretched a half a mile. The building still engulfed the countryside. Reaching across the horizon like a gaping mouth swallowing people up whole. I leaned back as the cab crept toward it. My eyes taking in the majesty of the entire complex. The center was large, with concrete steps that led up to two large doors. Neither one special in anyway, unless you count the sheer size of them. They were black against weathered white stone. Rows of small windows spread out to either side, five floors high. I was tempted to count them all, from habit. As I said before, I love numbers.